"The Emancipation Statue" by Karl Broodhagen.
This is the 10th post in my study of Dr. Sinclair Ferguson's text "Children of the Living God". Buy this book from Amazon.
Freedom. Slavery. Liberty. Emancipation. Bondage. Chains. Prisoners.
These are words that are spoken of a great deal in Scripture.
There is perhaps little more, to the natural mind, that provokes such deep emotion as an oppressed man. Furthermore, great joy is stirred when the oppressed are set free.
When Jesus began his earthly ministry, he proclaimed freedom for the prisoners:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
What do these words mean? What is this freedom/liberty that Christ speaks of? Here is Dr. Ferguson from the introduction to this chapter:
"The background to Jesus' proclamation of liberty was the Jewish Year of Jubilee, described in Leviticus 25. In the Old Testament law, the principle of sabbath was extended beyond one day in seven. Every seventh year the land was give a sabbath rest when the fields would not be sown nor the vines pruned. Then, after every seven sabbath years (every fiftieth year), a "Great Sabbath Year" was held, the Year of Jubilee. In that year, from the Day of Atonement (in the seventh month of the year), there was to be neither sowing nor reaping. Everyone returned to his own property and slaves were set free. It was to be a year of liberation. It was announced by the blowing of the trumpet everywhere throughout the land.
Here, in Luke 4, we have our Lord's sounding of the trumpet to announce the year of God's Jubilee. He is saying that the Old Testament law was but a pale shadow of what would now take place in the Messianic reign now inaugurated by the presence of the kingdom of God. The captives were now to be set at liberty through Christ! Jesus' whole ministry is an exposition of what he understood those words to mean. The year of the Lord's favour, the 'today' of which Christ spoke, meant freedom from all kinds of bondage. God wanted his children to be his free sons and daughters."
With that backdrop, let's explore the next chapter of Dr. Ferguson's text entitled Family Freedom...
Notes from Dr. Ferguson's "Children of the Living God", chapter 7, "Family Freedom":
The Dimensions of Freedom
- No longer slaves (Galatians 4:6-7)
- We now belong to heaven, which is free (Galatians 4:26)
- It was for freedom that Christ set us free (Galatians 5:1)
- It was for freedom that we were called into the family of God (Galatians 5:13)
Two Elements of Freedom
- Freedom is comparative - Christ's first coming brought an end to the Old Testemant law. The Old Testament believers had a promise of the Messiah. In the New Testament times there was the reality of the Messiah. The Old Testament believers lived under that law (their guardian), whereas the New Testament believers were broken free from this law and were slaves to it no more.
- Freedom is substantial - we have entered into full rights as sons! Not completed until our resurrection, but full right nonetheless. Dr. Ferguson describes seven dimensions to our freedom as sons and daughters:
- Free from guilt in order to enjoy peace as God's children - the law was given to show that we could not keep it. All have sinned. Christ died and bore, on our behalf, the judgment and condemnation of our sin.
- We are free from the reign of sin in order to serve under the reign of Christ - we are no longer children of darkness
- We enjoy freedom from the bondage of Satan, in order to enjoy the yoke of Jesus Christ - by nature, we are children of wrath, but Christ has broken Satan's hold over us.
- We are free from the law in order to live in the Spirit - this doesn't mean that we are to be disobedient. We are free from the law's condemnation, its ceremonies, and its restrictions.
- We enjoy freedom from hypocrisy, freedom to live transparantly before the Father - as Christians we don't need to earn our Father's favor. He chose us, brought us into adoption, and gave us the freedom to understand that, whatever we do, he will not let us go. In natural terms, my son is always my son. He behavior, and/or merit, has nothing to do with this fact.
- We enjoy freedom from anxiety, which enables us to live today for God - Christ has taken dominion of this world. If we feel anxiety, it is likely because we are placing our faith in earthly things instead of our Father's care. Oh...to fully comprehend this one!
- We are free from the traditions of men, so that we are bound only by the teaching of God - over the centuries, men have taken the word of God and defined walls and fine sounding arguments around it. We are free from this. Man has no say! We belong to God and are subject only to the proper interpretation of his word.
There is much to chew on here. Therefore, I am going to make this chapter a two part post.
It seems that everyday, as I battle my flesh, I need to constantly be reminded of these facts. If we are not daily in our Father's instruction, then certainly Satan (the Great Bastard) will torment our minds with lies, deception, anxiety, and all matter of afflictions.
As I read these words, there is great comfort here. I must get these things into my very cells.
Do you find any comfort or new perspectives here?
